Frankfurt bullish as 2001 figures are released

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Passenger numbers at Frankfurt International airport reached 48.6m in 2001, a decline of 1.6% on the previous year. According to figures released by airport authority Fraport, monthly trends at Germany's largest hub show that the post-September 11 downturn is easing, and the authority insisted the decline had bottomed out.

In October 2001, passenger traffic at Frankfurt showed a year-on-year decrease of 13.9%. The fall eased to 10.9% in November, and lessened further in December when the decline was 7.9%. Meanwhile, airfreight figures at Frankfurt--one of Europe's leading freight hubs--recorded a 6% fall in 2001.

Fraport was confident the location had emerged from the aviation crisis in better shape than rival German airports. Said a spokesman: "During crisis periods, the aviation industry always responds by strongly consolidating activities at the major hub airports. Airline capacity adjustments and route cancellations have increased transfer traffic and the share of wide-body aircraft at Frankfurt."